Set in a 15th-century stone manor house on a hillside ten minutes' drive above Lake Garda and offering 'spectacular views of the lake', this hotel prizes tranquillity above all else – even eschewing the hum of air-conditoning for antique fans and minibars for a civilized self-service bar. There are also no TVs. The hotel is inspired by the movie Casablanca, and rooms have antique furniture; a recent visitor had 'a bedroom in a garret at the top of the house, beautifully furnished with a simple stone floor, an iron bedstead and an antique rocker in the corner. It had a small balcony with room for a table from which you could sit and gaze at the lake below.' The restaurant has lake views. The food is delicious and may be themed eg around lemons, and the owner recommends wine from his cellar. Breakfast is 'a wonderful buffet – freshly squeezed juice, meats, olives and five different types of homemade marmalade. And at the end of each day we were brought a piece of cake warm from the oven'. In the garden, there's a jacuzzi made out of carved stone; water is from the Bolsone Fountain, famous in the 1700s for its healing properties. (Anna Raphael)